Spotlights

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that technology discovered at Purdue University that could help government agencies and the food industry detect salmonella more quickly has won the grand prize in the 2014 FDA Food Safety Challenge.

Purdue University is ranked 16th in the world among universities granted U.S. utility patents in 2014, according to a new report released by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) and the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO).

A Weldon School team has won first place in a contest to design pioneering biomedical tools, taking home a prize of $10,000. Awards for VentureWell's BMEidea competition were issued on June 9 during the Medical Design & Manufacturing Medical Device Trade Show & Competition in New York City. The Purdue team developed MarginPAT, an imaging tool for use in breast cancer surgery that enables surgeons to see clearly defined margins around tumors.

Weldon School undergraduate students interested in having a global learning experience without interrupting their plan of study or delaying their time to graduation can now choose among two opportunities in China in addition to programs in Ireland, Denmark, and Switzerland. The China programs include a for-credit one-semester study abroad program in Shanghai and a summer research dual exchange program in Beijing.

Ushering in a new era of leadership in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, the Purdue Board of Trustees approved the promotion to full professor of six faculty members: Sherry Voytik-Harbin, Michael Heinz, Pedro Irazoqui, Zheng Ouyang, Jenna Rickus, and Ann Rundell. This cadre of senior faculty represents more than half of the promotions to full professor this year in the entire Purdue College of Engineering. They are each recognized innovators in their fields with noteworthy impact in translational research and superlative teaching.

A research team from Purdue University is one of five finalists in a U.S. Food and Drug Administration competition seeking revolutionary improvements in the speed of the FDA's detection methods for salmonella in fresh produce.

Corey Neu, associate professor of biomedical engineering, has accepted an invitation to serve as a member of the NIH Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering Study Section, Center for Scientific
Review for a term beginning July 01, 2015 and ending June 30, 2019.

Tom Talavage, professor of biomedical engineering and professor of electrical and computer engineering, has been named a Purdue University Faculty Scholar for 2015-2020. The University Faculty Scholars Program recognizes outstanding faculty members at the West Lafayette campus who are on an accelerated path for academic distinction.

Michael R. Ladisch, Distinguished Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, was awarded Purdue's Morrill Award for demonstrating excellence in teaching, research and engagement missions, as well as in demonstrating synergies among them.